The Indiana Relays marks the second consecutive two-day home meet for the Hoosiers. Indiana will host 22 schools, five clubs/professional organizations and 695 athletes. The meet will start at 3 p.m. ET on Fri., Jan. 29, with preliminary rounds of the 60m sprints and hurdles. Saturday's action will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET. The end of each day of competition will be highlighted with invitational races and relays. Friday's invitational races will begin at 7 p.m., and Saturday's invitational races will begin at 2:40 p.m. All field events on Saturday will be invitational sections, consisting of the top-six verifiable entries.

The Indiana Relays was good to the Hoosiers in 2009, as Indiana posted four NCAA provisional marks. All four qualifiers are back in 2010, including Jeff Coover, who earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts.

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Bayer finished as the collegiate winner in a race filled with professional runners. He took third place in a race that saw four runners finish faster than the Gladstein Fieldhouse record. Bayer's time of 7:55.25 was faster than the 1991 3K clocked by IU legend Bob Kennedy, moving into second in the IU record books as well. His time is just .75 seconds off the NCAA Auto standard and is almost 10 seconds faster than the provisional mark.

Poore was right behind, taking fifth in the race with a time of 7:57.44. He is one of only five Hoosiers to finish the 3,000 meters in under eight minutes. His time is the fourth fastest in school history and was good enough to qualify for the NCAA Indoor meet last season.

Blanchard posted her first career NCAA qualifying time in the 3,000m Invitational. Her time of 9:31.62 is just under the provisional standard of 9:32.00. The finish moves her into eighth in the IU record books.

Sherrill moved to within 3.5 inches of the IU record in the weight throw, recording a heave of 19:30m (63-4) for her second NCAA provisional mark of the season. Her throw is three feet and two inches better than her previous career mark, and puts her just nine centimeters away from IU record holder Jennifer Brown.

Coover won the men's pole vault with an NCAA qualifying mark of 5.35m (17-6.5). Coover was unable to clear the NCAA auto standard of 5.50m in three tries. His best mark on the season is 5.41m (17-9).

HOOSIERS ENTER THE TOP 25
Indiana is ranked No. 16 in men's indoor track and field in the national rankings released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Led by five NCAA qualifiers, the Hoosiers' ranking is the highest for the men's team since being ranked 14th heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2009.

The men's team improves 22 spots from the preseason USTFCCCA rankings, and the women's team, just three spots out of the top 25 at No. 28, has moved up 17 spots since the preseason rankings. Director and head coach Ron Helmer attributes that improvement to the dedication and hard work of his athletes.

"Our rise in the rankings is indicative of the performance progress our athletes are making each week," Helmer said. "Our immediate goal is to continue to progress in workouts, away from the weekend meets, in order to facilitate continued growth throughout our program. Both teams are legitimately outstanding teams at this point but we have so much more work to do before we can think about being one of the best programs in the country on a week in and week out basis."

AIR CANADA
Sophomore Derek Drouin began the 2010 indoor campaign with a pair of top-three finishes at the Indiana Open on Saturday, posting two career bests and an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. The Corunna, Ontario, native cleared 2.24 meters (7-4.25) in the high jump - the best mark in the nation so far this indoor season. The jump sits just one centimeter shy of the IU school record and is 6 centimeters (2.5") better than his previous high in the event set last year.

The height is an automatic NCAA qualifying mark and was 8.5 inches better than the next best competitor in the event. Drouin completed the day by posting a career best in the long jump, claiming third in the event with a leap of 7.08 meters (23-2.75), bettering his previous best by 60 centimeters (1-11.5).

For his efforts at the Indiana Open, the Big Ten conference named him Big Ten Field Athlete of the week. The award marks the first weekly laurel for Drouin's career and is the first accolade for an Indiana men's field athlete since senior Jeff Coover won the award two weeks in a row last season.

Drouin added another notch to his belt this season, posting the team's best 60m hurdle time of the season against Purdue. His time of 8.20 seconds is the sixth-fastest in school history.

COOV JUMPS SMOOV
Senior Jeff Coover holds the nation's fourth-best mark in the pole vault, having cleared 5.41m (17-9) in the dual meet with Purdue. He sits just four centimeters from his career best from last season. Coover is now eight inches better than the provisional standard and 3.5 inches away from the automatic standard.

Coover cleared 5.36m (17-7) to win the pole vault at the Indiana Open. His mark was the first provisional qualification in Division I this season. Coover was more than half a meter better than the second place finisher.

Coover won the men's pole vault at the Gladstein Invitational as well, with a mark of 5.35m (17-6.5). Coover was unable to clear the NCAA auto standard of 5.50m in three tries.

MOLLY GATHERS MOMENTUM!
Senior Molly Beckwith blazed to a time of 2:06.78 in the 800m, nearly nine seconds ahead of the field. Her time was the first provisional in Division I this season and is currently sixth on the national list.

Beckwith posted wins in the mile and 800 against Purdue. Beckwith was just 1.08 seconds off the provisional standard in the mile in what was her first collegiate mile, finishing in 4:48.08. The time is the sixth-fastest in school history.

BAYER ATTACK... ON RECORD BOOKS
Indiana track and field athlete Andy Bayer has been named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week, the conference announced on Jan. 25. The award was for meets between January 17-23. Bayer wins his first weekly nod and the first indoor track honor since 2006 by a Hoosier.

Indiana track and field director and head coach Ron Helmer was very pleased with Bayer's performance at the Gladstein Invitational and feels that the recognition is well-deserved.

"In the young season, Andy ran the fastest time in the country and the second-fastest in school history. He is very deserving of this award. Fittingly, he is the first to win it since Stephen Haas, who holds the IU record ahead of Andy," said Helmer.

In his first collegiate 3,000-meters, Bayer finished as the collegiate winner while competing against six professional runners at the Gladstein Invitational. The redshirt freshman took third place in a race that saw four runners finish faster than the Gladstein Fieldhouse record. Bayer's time of 7:55.25 was faster than the 1991 3K clocked by IU legend Bob Kennedy. By eclipsing the 19-year-old mark, Bayer moves into second in the IU record books.

His time is just .75 seconds off the NCAA Automatic qualifier and is almost 10 seconds faster than the provisional standard, marking the first NCAA provisional qualification of his career. The Leo, Ind., native leads the nation by more than two seconds in the event and now owns the Big Ten's best time in the mile and the 3,000m.

GOTTA HAVE FAITH, AT NCAAS
Junior Faith Sherrill opened the 2010 indoor campaign with a bang at the Indiana Open by breaking an IU record that stood for 18 years. Sherrill recorded a heave of 16.70m (54-9.5), obliterating her career mark of 15.05m in 2008. The mark is a foot and a half better than the second best in the Big Ten so far this season and is the third-best in Division I. After redshirting last year, Sherrill moved from seventh in IU lore to 37 centimeters (1-2.5) better than the previous IU record, besting NCAA shot put champion Katrin Koch (1992) and Jennifer Brown (2000).

Sherrill recorded a heave of 16.80m (55-1.5), improving her provisional mark and moving to within 10 centimeters of the NCAA automatic standard. She finished nearly six feet ahead of her closest competitor. Sherrill is nearly two feet ahead of her closest conference foe.

Sherrill moved to within 3.5 inches of the IU record in the weight throw at the Gladstein Invitational, recording a heave of 19.30m (63-4) for her second NCAA provisional mark of the season. Her throw is three feet and two inches better than her previous career mark, and puts her just nine centimeters away from the IU record holder, Brown. Sherrill is the first Big Ten weight thrower to record a NCAA qualifying heave on the season. Her throw is 13th on the national list.

The Big Ten conference honored Sherrill's performance at the Indiana Open with Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors. It was the first weekly award for Sherrill. Tiffany Howard was the last Hoosier to win a field accolade as she won the award on January 12 last season.

POORE RECORDS WEALTHY MARKS
Redshirt sophomore Andrew Poore took fifth in the historic 3,000m race at the Gladstein Invitational with a time of 7:57.44. He is one of only five Hoosiers to finish the 3,000 meters in under eight minutes. His time is the fourth fastest in school history and was good enough to qualify for the NCAA Indoor meet last season. The mark is the first provisional indoor qualification of his career and currently puts him second on the national list, behind only teammate Andy Bayer.

THE RHOADES TO FAYETTEVILLE
In the dual with Purdue, senior Ashley Rhoades proved to be the story of the day, breaking the IU indoor high jump record by becoming the first female Hoosier to clear six feet. Rhoades' clearance of 1.84m (6-0.5) is the third-best in Division I and the best in the Big Ten this season. She is within one centimeter of the NCAA automatic qualifying standard.

Rhoades recorded a clearance of 1.78m (5-10) at the Indiana Open. She won by three centimeters and was just a centimeter off her career best from 2009 and three off the IU record.

HOP, SKIP, AND JUMP TO OLU!
Against Purdue, sophomore Olu Olamigoke posted his first career provisional mark to win the triple jump. He hopped, skipped and jumped 15.48m (50-9.5), good for ninth in the impressive IU triple jump records. His jump is the 12th best in Division I this season and is the second-best in the Big Ten conference.

WE SHALL SEE CHELSEA AT NCAA'S
In the women's 3,000m Invitational at the Gladstein Invitational, sophomore Chelsea Blanchard posted her first career NCAA qualifying time. Her time of 9:31.62 is just under the provisional standard of 9:32.00. Blanchard was more than seven seconds faster than the second-place finisher and led all nearly all 15 laps of the race. The finish moves her into eighth in the IU record books.

BIG TEN HONORS TWO IN WEEK ONE
Indiana sophomore Derek Drouin and junior Faith Sherrill both were named as field athletes of the week when the Big Ten conference office announced on Jan. 11, the first weekly indoor track and field awards of the season. The awards were for meets between January 4-10. Both student-athletes claimed the prize for the first time in their career.

Indiana track and field director and head coach Ron Helmer was very pleased with the performance of the two honorees at the Indiana Open and the commitment they have made to improving.

"With both Derek and Faith, the effort put into offseason preparation is paying off," Helmer said, "which is evidenced by the quality of marks that they were able to record on Saturday."

BACK IN CRIMSON
Since his arrival at Indiana in 2007, Ron Helmer has routinely redshirted talented athletes, including upperclassmen, to help them develop. Several Hoosiers will compete in cream and crimson this season after donning the redshirt in 2009.

Faith Sherrill redshirted during indoor and outdoor last season after a breakout campaign in 2008. Sherill will look to pick up where she left off, as she advanced to the NCAA Regional in 2008.

Indiana's distance corps on the men's side took a hit in 2009, as six of the IU runners redshirted at least one season. Highlighting that group were redshirt freshmen Andy Bayer, Zach Mayhew and Nate Morrow and redshirt sophomores Andy Weatherford, Ben Hubers and Cole Hardacre. Bayer redshirted the indoor campaign and the three sophomores redshirted outdoors. The group helped lead Indiana to a successful cross country season that saw them enter the national rankings.

After an indoor campaign where he earned All-America honors and a Big Ten pole vault crown, Jeff Coover sat out the outdoor season to train. Coover finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2009.

IU's best threat in the 400 to 600m races sat out the 2009 campaign to get stronger as well. Senior Martin Stephen II will return in 2010 after doing heavier mileage training this summer and fall. Stephen will look to bolster an improved sprints group for the Hoosiers this season.

IU LOOKS TO THE TRUE NORTH
After a 2009 season that included freshman phenom Derek Drouin soaring to new heights, the Hoosiers have dipped back into Canada's talent pool, hoping to bring further success across the border.

Drouin, the pride of Corunna, Ontario, took second at the NCAA Indoor meet, won the Big Ten outdoor meet and the NCAA regional. He also posted wins at the Drake Relays and the Junior Pan-Am games. His clearance of 2.27m (7-5.25) at the Pan-Am games is the IU outdoor record.

Hubers, who was born in Canada before his family moved to Georgia, earned All-America honors as a member of the IU distance medley relay team. Hubers ran the 3,200m leg on the seventh-place team at NCAAs. The Hoosiers advanced in the DMR because of an automatic qualifying time of 9:31.81 at the Alex Wilson Invite. The time is the second-fastest in school history.

Novia redshirted in 2009. The Mississauga, Ontario native finished second at the Canadian Jr. Championships in the shot put.

Dunkley, from Pickering, Ontario, was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles at the 2009 Canadian Jr. Championships. Kimoto was the high jump champion in British Columbia and finished fifth at the 2009 junior nationals.

Raby, from Repentigny, Quebec, was a provincial medalist in cross country and has placed as high as second in the 800m at the Francophone Games. Raby ran cross country for IU this fall and was in the top seven at the NCAA Championships for the Hoosiers.

FOLLOW IU ON TWITTER!
Fans of IU track and field will have access to greatly expanded coverage of the Hoosiers in 2010. Media Relations contact Kyle Johnson will be covering the Hoosiers all season long on Twitter and IUHoosiers.com. His Twitter posts will include live updates from meets all season long.

Weekly Twitvid videos, previews, recaps, photo galleries, results and much, much more will be available all season long. You can get updates sent straight to your mobile device or computer via Twitter by following Johnson at twitter.com/KJatIU.